"You're Gonna Lose that Girl"

Song: “You’re Going to Lose that Girl”

Album: Help! (1965)

Another from the film and album Help!, John wrote “You’re Going to Lose that Girl” at his home in Webybridge. He sings yet another call-and-response with Paul and George, relating a man’s plan to steal his friend’s girl if he doesn’t start treating her better.

Between the use of call-and-response and the band’s playing around with their newfound interest in four-track recording, the song serves as a sort of bridge between the Beatles of old and the Beatles of…new. In addition to his drumming, Ringo was able to add a track of bongo-playing, giving the song a slight Latin vibe. And whereas producer George Martin would have previously played the background piano, Paul was able to overdub it himself. In fact, in this scene from the film, we see Paul playing the piano—not his bass. 

And speaking of the film, I always loved this clip—with the band arguing about who’s making the buzzing noise that’s interfering with the recording. Spoiler: it’s a chainsaw the baddies use to capture Ringo in hopes of regaining the sacrificial ring he somehow came into possession of.  John’s quip to Ringo is priceless: “It was you buzzin’!  You naughty boy.”

"Help!"

Song: "Help!"
Album: Help! (1965)

“Help” was the title song to the Beatles’ tenth North American album (and fifth British LP), released as a single (B-sided by “I’m Down) on July 19 and 23 in the U.S. and U.K., respectively. It was also the title song to the Beatles’ second film, which was released in London 47 years ago yesterday, followed by the release of the full LP on August 6.

The song was primarily composed by Lennon, credited to Lennon-McCartney. Lennon said that it was one of his favorite songs that he wrote with the Beatles, and, along with “Strawberry Fields Forever,” was his most honest and personal. He revealed that the song was a meditation on the Beatles’ meteoric rise to fame, and the sense of “helplessness” that came with it. He did, however, wish he had recorded the song at a slower tempo.

Writer Ian MacDonald called it the “first crack in [John’s] protective shell,” and an important entry in John's canon and influence on his composing style.

"It Won't Be Long"

Song: "It Won't Be Long"

Album: With the Beatles

"It Won't Be Long" was the first song recorded for--and the opening track of--the Beatles second UK album, With the Beatles.  It was written by John, with Paul contributing to both lyrics and arrangement. Like many early Beatles tunes, it heavily utilizes call and response yeah-yeah's and scaling riffs (prevalent in George's guitaring after each chorus). 

The Beatles supposedly never performed this song live, and it was also never recorded during any of the their BBC sessions. However, they performed a lip-synch of it for Ready Steady Go! seen below. (Despite the video's title, the performance was not technically "live.")

"Hey Jude"

Song: “Hey Jude”
Album: (Not released on LP)

Written by McCartney and originally titled “Hey Jules,” “Hey Jude” was released in August 1968, the first single from the Apple Records label.  At over seven minutes, it was the longest song to ever top the British charts, and it spent nine weeks atop the U.S. charts (the longest run at number one for a Beatles tune). The name was changed from “Jules” to “Jude” simply because Paul thought it was easier to sing and sounded better.

While the origin of the song is often disputed (many people in Paul’s life believed or still believe it was/is about them), “Hey Jude” was most likely written for John’s son Julian as a comfort during his parents’ divorce.  Apparently Paul and Julian were quite close, and Julian has said that he and Paul spent more time together than even he and John (his father) did. And Paul was likely concerned for Julian during John’s divorce from Cynthia, knowing how difficult that can be on a young child.

Even John believed the song was actually about him (i.e. “Hey John”), an encouragement for him to pursue his new love Yoko (probably because of lines like, “You were made to go out and get her”).

Whatever its origin, the song certainly serves as a good example of Paul and John’s personal and creative relationship. When McCartney shared the song with Lennon, he expressed his intent to change the “the movement you need is on your shoulder” line, thinking it silly. But John knew he wouldn’t change it, and told him as much, saying it’s the best line in the song.  Paul kept it, and has said that he thinks of John whenever he sings that bit, often feeling emotional. 

"Paperback Writer"

Song: “Paperback Writer”

Album: (Not released on LP)

Written primarily by McCartney (supposedly from a request of an aunt of Paul’s that he write a single that wasn’t about love), “Paperback Writer was recorded in April of 1966 and released as the A-side of their eleventh single, reaching number one in the U.S., U.k., Ireland, (West) Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Norway. It was their only number one single that year. The photograph used for the original (British) single was the same as the infamous “Butcher Cover” of Yesterday and Today. The American release, however, is simply a (non-controversial) photograph of the band playing live.

If you listen closely, starting at around the 1:00 mark, you can hear that John and George’s backing vocals are actually a slow-sung rendition of "Frère Jacques.”

And over a decade before MTV, you can see in this promotional piece that the Beatles were trailblazers in the art of the music video.

"Lady Madonna"

Song: “Lady Madonna”

Album: (Not released on LP)

“Lady Madonna” was primarily written by McCartney (although Lennon helped with some of the lyrics) and recorded in February of 1968, before the Beatles left for India. It was released as a single in March—reaching #1 in the U.K. and #4 in the U.S.—but never appeared on an L.P.  McCartney has said the driving boogie-woogie piano in the tune was inspired by Fats Domino, who recorded his own version of the song later in 1968.

The song is about an exhausted working-class mother, of which there were many in Liverpool at the time. There are also many Catholics in Liverpool, due to its proximity to Dublin, hence the Catholic iconography.

This video was a promotional release for the song, which I believe actually features footage of the Beatles recording “Hey, Bulldog!”  The footage was later recut and released as a promotion for that tune.

An Aretha Franklin cover of “Lady Madonna” served as the theme song to the popular 1990’s sitcom Grace Under Fire on ABC.  

"We Can Work it Out"

Song: “We Can Work it Out”

Album: (Not released on LP)

Although not released on the album, “We Can Work it Out” was recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions and was half of a “doube A-sided” single along with “Day Tripper” (which was also recorded during the Rubber Soul sessions but left off the album).  It was the first time a single classified both sides of the record as a primary release (i.e. there was no "B-side").

One of the few truly collaborative songs of the post-1963 Lennon-McCartney duo, Paul wrote the music, verses, and chorus (perhaps referencing his relationship with Jane Asher). He and John then wrote the middle “Life is very short” harmony bit, underscoring what often came from their later collaborations—John bringing a little darkness into the over-the-top optimism he  saw in McCartney’s work. (“A Day in the Life” comes to mind as another prime example of this—think of the juxtaposition of McCartney’s “Woke up, got out of bed” with John’s “I read the news today.") It’s the type of collaboration that points to why the band was so much greater than the sum of its parts and why none of the members' solo careers ever reached the commercial or critical heights they enjoyed as Beatles.

P.S. Love John’s silliness in this video.

"She Loves You"

Title: She Loves You
Album: The Beatles' Second Album (1964)

Forty-nine years ago this summer, the Beatles recorded (July 1963) and released (August 1963) “She Loves You,” which, besides setting sales records in both the U.K. and the U.S., was one of five Beatles songs that held the top positions on the American charts, all at the same time. 

Co-written by Lennon and McCartney, "She Loves You" is considered the song that really popularized the Beatles in the United States.  In fact, in 2005, Uncut magazine listed it as among the top three songs that changed the world, behind Elvis Presley’s “Heartbreak Hotel” and Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone.”

"Act Naturally"

Song: Act Naturally
Album: Help! (1965)

While John and Paul took on the majority of the lead vocal responsibilities, almost every Beatles album includes songs led by George and Ringo as well. In Ringo's case, it was generally one song per album.

On 1965's Help!, Ringo sang the Voni Morrison/Johnny Russell penned "Act Naturally" (which was originally recorded by Buck Owens in 1963). It would be the last cover the band would record until the Get Back/Let it Be sessions in 1969.

The Beatles had planned to record a Normal Smith tune for Help! but realized Ringo did not yet have a tune for the album. When they weren't satisfied with the recording of "If You've Got Trouble," they recorded "Act Naturally."

"Dig a Pony"

Song: "Dig a Pony"
Album: Let it Be (1970)

Penned by Lennon, and originally titled "All I Want is You" (for Yoko), Lennon later called it "a piece of garbage."  But "Dig a Pony" is still one of my faves.  Love that guitar lick.  

During the rooftop concert in this video, you can see that an assistant is holding up the lyrics for Lennon.

"In My Life"

As with many Beatles tunes, there's some dispute over who contributed what and to what degree to "In My Life, but most agree that its primarily a Lennon composition, both in melody and lyric. I guess much of the original lyric was very Liverpool specific, but John later replaced the references with a more general reflection on his life.

Rolling Stone ranks "In My Life" at number 23 on its list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and number 5 on its The Beatles 100 Greatest Songs list.

Song: "In My Life"
Album: Rubber Soul (1965)